The Lone Wolf
by 75mistakes
Summary: Captains Zaraki and Unohana make an unusual discover that leads to many questions. How can one person change the fate of the Soul Society? Easily...
1. Mysterious Findings

Everyone in Soul Society knew it. They felt it.

"Wha- What on earth is that?!" Lieutenant Momo Hinamori gasped. Her brown eyes grew as she felt the intense spiritual pressure. Lieutenants Izuru Kira and Shuhei Hisagi were stiff. They even started sweating.

"Where the hell is that coming from?!" Shuhei cried out.

"I don't know... but it feels so powerful," Izuru said. "The Captains will handle it." He was beginning to wonder if the Captains' meeting going on now was a mere coincidence.

The Captains all turned their heads northwards. A great yellow light was gleaming in the night. They too could feel the spiritual pressure. Looks of confusion and frustration were written all over their faces. The only one with a smile on his face was Captain Kenpachi Zaraki. Finally, someone worth fighting, he thought.

What could possibly have that much spiritual pressure? A hollow? Had Aizen returned?

"It's coming from the Kusajishi District of Rukongai. How can such spiritual pressure be seen from all the way here?" Captain Ukitake of Squad Thirteen said.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Head-Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads slammed his cane onto the ground. Everyone immediately turned to him.

"Whatever the cause of that spiritual pressure, it must be found. This is a serious matter. I will send Captain Unohana of Squad Four to investigate the source. Also-- should there be any need-- Captain Zaraki of Squad Eleven will also accompany her. You may bring your lieutenants if you so desire."

Everyone's eyes turned towards the two captains. Unohana and Zaraki working together?! The sweet doctor and the crazed demon?! What an unlikely pairing...

Retsu Unohana simply nodded.

Zaraki gave a smile. "Don't worry. We won't be gone too long... that is unless I decide to have some fun." He and Captain Unohana immediately went off into the darkness.

"As for the rest of you," Yamamoto began. The other captains turned toward him once again. "Do as you wish. I will not declare a state of emergency until we know for sure what that is."

The captains nodded.

"This meeting is adjourned."

"Yay! Kenny's going to have so much fun with whatever that thingy is! I know I will! I'm already having fun and we're not even there!"

Yachiru was, as usual being an annoyance. She was enjoying herself by hopping and skipping all over Minazuki as they made their way towards the light. The two captains and Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu were concentrating on what lie ahead of them.

Captain Unohana made Minazuki land in a large clearing amongst the trees. As the Soul Reapers got off, the ray-like creature dissolved into a green mist. Slowly, it dissolved back into Unohana's zanpakuto. The pillar of light was not very far. A short walk would be no problem.

Isane and Yachiru ran off ahead to scout. Captain Unohana walked calmly and gracefully, while Captain Zaraki was anxious. "Walking is so boring. I want to see what that is. It had better be something worth my blade."

"How do you know there will be anything to fight?" Unohana asked.

Kenpachi smiled. "Word has it that you are one of the strongest fighters in the Soul Society, but you almost never draw your zanpakuto. Why?"

Unohana didn't answer.

"Well? Why don't you use your zanpakuto?"

"I heard you the first time... And I'm not going to answer."

"Fine... maybe someday you can show me your skill."

"Captain Unohana! Captain Zaraki! You need to see this!" Isane yelled. The two captains ran to her and Lieutenant Kusajishi. They could see what they had found from where they stood behind the trees.

The light came from the ground. It was about ten feet in circumference. The yellow pillar seemed to go off into eternity into the sky. Surrounding the light were three Hollows. They were each large and had a fairly decent spiritual pressure. They gave forth great cries and stared into the light.

Kenpachi Zaraki laughed. "They're mine." He drew his sword and was heading towards the Hollows, but Unohana noticed something.

"Stop." She grabbed him. He was confused. "Look at the base of the light." Zaraki and the lieutenants strained to see what she did.

They could just barely make it out. A silhouette could be seen. It was not much darker than the surrounding light, but it was enough to tell. They could see a sword sticking upright. But it wasn't stuck in just the ground. What appeared to be a body was flailing and screaming. It was a boy. A boy in pain.

Kenpachi gasped. "What the hell? All that spiritual pressure is coming from that runt?"

Unohana nodded. "Captain Zaraki. I want you and your lieutenant to take out those Hollows. Then we shall see what we can do about the boy."

"Ha-ha... Oh, I will. In fact, I'll even do it without Yachiru's help." In an instant, he was out of the cover. The Hollows screamed and attempted to grab him. How foolish... No Hollow can ever hope to harm Kenpachi Zaraki. In a matter of seconds, he was stained in their blood.

Retsu Unohana walked over to the pillar. She could see the young boy writhing and screaming. She could barely hear him though. Isane stood beside her. She looked scared. Then, Captain Unohana outstretched her hand.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Geki!"

A red light was being formed around the boy. It wasn't as strong as Unohana hoped, but slowly, the beam of light was dissipating. The boy was now paralyzed on the ground; a red light outlined both him and the sword sticking out of his belly. Unohana snapped and the Geki kido stopped.

The boy seemed to be somewhere around Isane's age. He was wearing brown and black rags. His hair was long and black. It looked very ragged. He breathed heavily and his eyes were closed tightly. His blood was all over himself.

Isane walked over to the boy's side. She gently put a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, he cringed in pain. Unohana walked over to the other side. She pulled out a small bottle out of her robes. She opened it and gently lifted the boy's head and put it in her lap. He gasped again.

"I need you to open your mouth and swallow this. It will help heal your wounds and stop the pain."

The boy hesitated a moment. However, he did as he was told. Unohana smiled and poured the bluish fluid into his mouth. He swallowed it. As if on cue, Captain Zaraki came and pulled the blade out of the boy's gut. The young man made a sharp groan as the steel cut him on its way out.

He opened his eyes. The lieutenants gasped as they saw the ruby red orbs staring up into the sky. What was even more intriguing was that the pupils were slitted, like a cat's. The young man turned toward Captain Unohana, almost smiling as he did.

"Thank you," was all he could manage before he passed out in her lap. Unohana could feel the boy's spiritual pressure dissipate even more as he went unconscious.

"What was all that about?" Zaraki asked.

Unohana slowly got up, gently picking up the boy as she did and handing him over to Isane. "I don't know, but we'll find out answers soon enough."

Minazuki was flying slower back to the Seireitei. This was mainly due to the boy's spiritual pressure. This wasn't all bad. It gave them more time to think. It also gave Yachiru more time to hop around on Minazuki's back.

The boy rested in Isane's lap. It was odd. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. As soon as she turned away, she had to turn back to him. After a few minutes, she decided to see if she could ease her curiosity.

"Um... Captain Unohana... may I examine his body?"

Unohana turned and simply nodded. Captain Zaraki looked towards the boy out of the corner of his eye. _What are you doing here,_ he thought.

Isane slowly and carefully laid the boy down onto his back. She removed the rags that covered his torso, shoulders, and arms. Her eyes widened when she found what she did.

Aside from the wound caused by the zanpakuto in his stomach, his arms were covered in scars. They were almost like hundreds of tallies, all marching from wrist to shoulder and to the next shoulder and next wrist. Isane wondered how these wounds had been inflicted.

_Poor boy..._

_What are you?_

Kenpachi Zaraki smiled at the sight of those scars. Only a warrior could possess so many marks of battle.

Isane held the boy closer to her. His head rested on her shoulder. It was strange. She had this sudden urge... this random feeling to protect the young man. Her hands stroked his back as if to soothe him. After a couple minutes, she stopped.

Why bother? He won't feel this anyway.

As soon as they got back to the Soul Society, Unohana had Isane put the boy in a bed. In fact, they had him put in the bed closest to Captain Unohana's room. He had a breathing apparatus placed over his nose and mouth. IVs were stuck into his arm.

After that, they tried to sleep.

"KAMABOKO!"

Isane sat up in her bed. She was sweating and shivering. She looked around. _Damn, another nightmare_, she thought.

She got up and dressed in a kimono. It was very early in the morning, yet still dark out. Isane enjoyed strolls in the dark after a nightmare. They always seemed to calm her down. She walked into the bed rooms. She walked to the boy's room. She had to see him again. Just one last time before she slept.

She walked in. To her disbelief, Captain Unohana was still awake. She sat in a chair next to the young man. She was stroking his hair.

"Captain Unohana?"

"Come Isane."

Isane stepped forward. "My apologies. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"No. Don't worry. I haven't even tried to sleep yet."  
"Is something wrong?"

"No. Well, not with me. I heard the boy moan in his sleep. Nightmares. Putting my hand on him calms him down. It seems like he trusts me."

"He subconsciously knows you're here?" Isane had a shocked look.

"Yes. Why don't you try? I think he trusts you, too." Unohana gave a warm smile.

Isane was unsure. Unohana got out of her chair and beckoned for her to sit. The boy seemed to cringe as she got up. The Squad Four lieutenant sat down and the boy was fine. She looked down at him. She put a hand on his own. The oddest feeling came over her. She felt safe. Slowly, she began to sleep.

Unohana smiled and went back to her room.

"You really are a strange boy."

_There were no more nightmares that night._


	2. Curiosity

Isane woke up. She lifted her head. It had been lying on the patient's shoulder. She felt slight embarrassment.

Isane looked out the window. It was around six o' clock. The sky was a bright gold and the clouds were beautiful shades of blue. She stood up and stared out for a minute. Then she turned back to the boy. Isane smiled and walked back to her room to dress.

The lieutenants were all waiting in Izuru Kira's office. A small meeting was being held there regarding last night's events.

"So, Yachiru, what did you see?" Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba of Squad Seven asked.

"I'm guessing it was a bunch of Hollows," Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi commented.

"Well," Yachiru began. "There was a couple Hollow, but Kenny had no trouble with them. He never has trouble with anything. But they weren't what was causing the light."

Isane walked in at this moment. She could see many of the lieutenants all focusing on the tiny pink girl. Some of the others turned towards her and knew she'd be a more reliable source.

Izuru turned towards Isane. "Well, what was all that spiritual pressure from?" Isane bowed her head slightly.

"It… it was a boy." The other Soul Reapers turned to her in shock. Their eyes were wide. "He was lying in the ground. A zanpakuto was embedded in his stomach. He was in so much pain… Luckily, Captain Unohana and I saved him. He's resting back at the Squad Four headquarters."

"A boy? Just one boy?" Momo asked.

"Yes… well, a young man. I'm guessing the zanpakuto was his."

"You think he's a Soul Reaper?" Nanao Ise piped in.

"No… not yet." Isane sat in a small corner. She didn't want to mention the numerous scars running up and down the man's arms and shoulder blades. She was also afraid to what the reaction the eyes would be. They'd have to find out on their own.

Momo Hinamori moved closer to Isane. "I feel sorry for him."

"Why?"

"I can't imagine being in his position. Just appearing out of nowhere in a strange world with a sword stuck in you. All alone and in pain… And then being saved. But is he really safe?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he was surrounded by three Hollows, do you think more will come after him?"

Isane made a small gasp. "Well… We'll find out."

Captain Unohana was sitting next to the boy. He was beginning to awaken. She smiled warmly at the boy as he began to move. His eyes slowly opened. She could see the red irises just barely.

"Where… am I?"

She placed a hand gently on his. "You are safe here. You are in the Seireitei. Those Hollows will not do any more harm to you."  
"Seireitei?" he gasped.

"Yes. You will be safe here with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. You are safely in the hands of the Soul Reapers." She gave another warm smile to the boy. He opened his eyes more. The slitted pupils stared directly at the beautiful captain. "My name is Retsu Unohana of Squad Four. May I be so kind as to ask for yours?"

The boy tried sitting up. Unohana placed a soft hand on his back. The bare skin felt cold to her. He was pale and his long dirty hair stretched down to his mid back. The man groaned as he got up. "My… my name is… Semaj Kotaru."

Unohana smiled again. "I am please to meet you, Semaj. If you are able to, can you tell me what happened last night?"

Semaj moaned. He moved a hand to his temple and rubbed. His arm scars were more noticeable in the light.

"I wish I could tell you. All I know is that I was impaled and there. I don't remember how I got there or why. But… when that sword—my sword—was stabbed into me, I felt this odd power. I couldn't move, but the power just forced itself out of me. I felt strong even as I lay there dying… I still feel that power. I just… I wish I knew—"

Unohana placed a finger on his lips. "Thank you. Rest some more. I don't want you to hurt yourself more trying to remember." She gently placed her other hand on his head. "You need to get as much rest as you can in your state. I will see to it that you will have clean clothing and a room." She got up and began to walk away.

"Before you leave, may I say two things?"

Unohana stopped halfway out the door. She turned towards the Semaj. His burning ruby eyes pierced her gaze. She was almost afraid to look at them.

"Firstly, where is my sword?" he asked. His face was serious.

"Your zanpakuto is safe in Head-captain Yamamoto's care. We will see if you are capable of using it… once you are assigned to a squad."  
"You mean I am become a Soul Reaper?"

"If the captains allow it, yes. And what was the other thing you were going to say?"  
Semaj looked down at the sheets of the bed. His hair covered his face from Unohana's view. "Only that I am happy to be in the care of two of the most beautiful women I have ever seen." Unohana could tell he was blushing. She certainly was. "Thank you."

"You have no need to express it in words. It was our duty to save you." She gave a last smile as she turned away. "Rest well, Semaj Kotaru."

A day had passed. Words were spreading quickly about a powerful being the Soul Society. It was said his spiritual pressure was almost akin to that of Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's. Many found this hard to believe. Everyone was curious.

"What do you think of this new guy, Captain? I heard he is supposed to exit the Squad Four headquarters today. We'll finally see him!"

Renji was ecstatic. He had heard many rumors. He wanted to meet this almost mythic man and test his strength.

However, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki was not as thrilled.

"I doubt he'll live up to these epic tales. His arrival is the only unexpected thing about him. You shall see that he will only be at your level of power. Perhaps he will have less."

Many Soul Reapers had gathered outside the Squad Four headquarters to see this new being. Many lieutenants and even a couple captains were busy trying to find a good place to watch the boy.

Semaj Kotaru could not believe it.

He looked out from a window, staying low so as not to be seen. Dozens of Soul Reapers were lined up to view him as if he were a clown or a spectacle. He went back to his room and just sat on the bed.

Isane Kotetsu could see that he was scared. She sensed uneasiness in his soul. Isane walked up to him and sat beside him.

"What is wrong?"

"They wait for me as if I am a legendary beast. I never wanted to begin things like this. What makes me so much different from them?"

_Aside from your eyes, scars, and spiritual power, _nothing Isane thought. She rubbed him back. She could feel his muscles tense up.

"You have nothing to fear. I will be here for you."

He turned towards her. His flaming eyes were not as radiant as they were that night. That didn't make them any less hypnotizing or beautiful. Isane couldn't help but stare into them.

"Do you fear me?" he asked.

Isane was shocked. "Why would I fear you? I don't have any reason to."

Semaj gave a curt smile. "People fear what they do not know. They fear what they don't understand."

"True. But I don't fear you at all. It's strange. I have nightmares that always haunt me when I sleep. But when I slept near you the first night, they disappeared. Captain Unohana said you too had nightmares. Mine are always silly…"

"Nightmares you say?" he asked. "I had a nightmare that I was alone and falling in an eternity of black nothingness. What was yours?"

She chuckled embarrassingly and put a hand behind her head. "Would you believe fish paste?"

Momo was trying to find her way through the crowd of Soul Reapers so she could have a good view of the new boy. She could barely squeeze between people. Thankfully she was small and managed to find Izuru and Shuhei.

"Momo! It's about time you showed up. He's gonna come out any minute now!" Shuhei cried. Momo managed to force herself to her friends. She could see other Soul Reapers she knew. She saw most of the lieutenants from the other squads. Among the captains, the only ones present were Kenpachi Zaraki, Soifon, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Jushiro Ukitake.

After a minute or so, Captain Unohana came out of the headquarters. Following her was Semaj Kotaru. He was dressed in the Soul Reaper uniform. Behind him was Isane. Unohana walked forward elegantly and with a degree of authority. Semaj stopped suddenly once he had cleared the walls of the headquarters. He saw so many people. All eyes were on him. They scanned his eyes and hair. Some people could barely see his scars from his sleeves.

Isane put her hand on his shoulder. He turned towards her. His red eyes and her purple eyes met. She gave a small nod. That was all he needed to continue. Semaj followed Unohana threw the crowd. All the Soul Reapers had formed a path for them. Semaj felt special.

Atleast he had a friend.

"Wow!" Momo shouted. "That's the new guy?"

Shuhei had his hand on his chin. He seemed to be analyzing the red-eyed character very seriously. "He seems kinda scrawny to me. I wonder how much of an asset he'll be."

"What do you think Izuru?" Momo turned towards her blond friend.

"I don't know… but I have a feeling he'll be a worthy ally. I'll see if I can talk to him."

"I want to, too." Momo chimed in. "Not only does he seem interesting, but he's also kinda cute." She blushed as she said this.

Shuhei laughed. "Well, he seems around our age. Maybe you'll get a chance with him." Izuru gave a small smile. It slowly disappeared. He had feelings for Momo. No-one knew that. He always kept things to himself.

Momo ran through the crowd and started skipping after the red-eyed man. She forced herself through the tides of Soul Reapers. Eventually she crashed right into a member of Squad Eleven.

What the hell?!" the Reaper said. He kicked Momo to the ground. He was extremely tall and looked mean. "How dare you run into me, you little witch! I'll teach you!" Momo was too frightened to move. Izuru and Shuhei were too lost in the crowd. The Soul Reaper lifted a leg to kick. Momo closed her eyes. She waited for the blow, but it never came. She opened her brown eyes and found out why.

The rude Soul Reaper was screaming in pain. At first, Momo couldn't figure out why. She looked closely. Someone was pinning his arms behind his back. After a minute or so, the crude Soul Reaper from Squad Eleven was thrown to the ground. Standing above Momo was the red-eyed man.

She was too scared to move at first. From what she had seen, not only had this young man pinned the arms of a man from Squad Eleven, the close-combat squad, but he had also done it with only one hand! The man bent down close to Momo.  
"Do you need help?"

His voice was warm and kind. His hand was outstretched. Momo gladly took it and was effortlessly pulled back to her feet. This new man was better than she expected. She found herself in his arms. Momo could see that other Squad Eleven Soul Reapers were getting ready for a fight. The man was protecting her. He was doing everything he could do hide her from their cruel eyes; even use his hair to block them.

"Ready?"

Momo did not know what he meant until it was too late. The red-eyed character picked her up in his arms and ran. He was so swift, she felt like she was being carried by some beast. In a matter of seconds, they were out far away from there. In fact, they were in a less populated part of the Seireitei.

The man smiled at Momo and stroked her hair, knocking some of the dirt off.

"My name is Semaj Kotaru. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

All Momo could do was smile. This man was so caring and kind, not to mention cute. She had heard so many rumors. This man matched none of them.

"May I be so bold as to ask for your name, my lady?" Semaj asked. His red eyes met her brown ones. She blushed.

"Momo Hinamori." Her smile became toothier. Semaj gave a chuckle.

"I am very happy to have met you, Momo." He then did the unexpected: he gently held her hand and kissed it. Momo gasped. He just smiled and walked away. All she could do was stare.

Izuru and Shuhei finally caught up. When they arrived at her side, Semaj Kotaru was gone.

"What happened, Momo?" Shuhei asked. He had to ask again. She was too dazed. "What happened?"

"Oh… I met him."

"You met him? What was he like?"

"He was… He was exactly the type of person I've always wanted to meet."

Momo couldn't help but smile. Izuru and Shuhei looked at each other, wondering what that meant.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Izuru laughed. "Squad Eleven doesn't like him already."


	3. Meetings

The captains all stood in Head-captain Yamamoto's chamber. They were all lined up in order. Their attention was turned to Semaj, who was standing in the center of the room. The captains had been speaking for nearly an hour beforehand, but once he had been called into the room, all conversation had stopped. Semaj could feel their eyes piercing him. He just stood and stared at the elderly captain with the cane.

Captain Unohana sensed Semaj's uneasiness. She began talking to ease the tension. "This is Semaj Kotaru. Captain Zaraki and I found him in the Kusajishi district. He was impaled by his own zanpakuto and surrounded by Hollows. The actual impalement is what caused the massive surge of spiritual pressure."

"So much spiritual pressure in a runt… amazing…," Captain Zaraki grinned.

"Considering that we don't know much about him, perhaps I could… conduct a series of experiments. After all, he seems like a hardy subject. If he could survive that intense surge, he will have no problem enduring a surgery," Captain Kurotsuchi said. Semaj turned to the scientist. He felt a strange chill as soon as he saw the golden eyes and black-and-white painted face. The skeletal appearance gave him a weird sensation.

_This man is going to be very prominent in my future, _he thought.

"Or I could just test his strength. I'll see if he's as good as he's cracked up to be. It'll be fun," Kenpachi suggested. His smile grew and his cold grey eyes put fear in Semaj.

Yamamoto clapped his cane against the floor. "Neither of you will do no such thing! Captain Unohana… the zanpakuto, if you will."

Unohana reached into the folds of her robes. Her delicate hands pulled out what appeared to be a large nodachi. It was considerably long, being nearly a foot longer than Unohana's own zanpakuto. The handle was a beautiful shade of dark green with gold embroidery. The guard was an X with an outer circle, giving in a unique look to it. Unohana handed the sword to Yamamoto. He held it delicately in his old hands, examining it carefully. He finally drew it from his scabbard. Semaj gasped as he saw the shining silver blade. A sharp pain struck his stomach, remembering the incident.

The Head-captain sheathed the blade after inspecting it. He handed the zanpakuto back to Unohana and simply nodded. She in turn gave the sword to Semaj. Semaj was surprised. His ruby eyes grew when he felt the sword in his hands. It felt right… felt like it was supposed to be there.

"Consider yourself thankful that Captain Unohana begged that you should be able to carry it."

Semaj nodded and bowed his head down. "Thank you, Head-captain Yamamoto."

"You will be given training to become a Soul Reaper a week from now. Until then, you will find a Division to settle with and learn about the Seireitei from the other members of that squad. I see that you and Captain Unohana have already formed a bond. As such, she will give you the training."

Once again, Semaj bowed his head down.

"Before you leave, turn around. Face the captains."

Semaj raised his head. He felt a sudden chill. He had forgotten about the other captains. He turned and saw them all. Semaj could see that they were all powerful. Yamamoto named them off for him. Thoughts ran through Semaj's mind as each was named.

"Captain of Division Two and Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force Soifon," _A strong young woman. Probably best not to cross her path… or at least not be on her bad side._ "Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of Squad Six," _Some arrogant noble._ "Sajin Komamura, Captain of the Seventh Division,"_ A beast? If he's here, he shouldn't be too much of a threat._ "Captain of Squad Eight, Shunsui Kyoraku," _Well, here's a fancy get-up. Seems like someone that'd annoy me. I'll keep away from him._ "Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad Ten," _How does one so young and small come to be a Soul Reaper? Strength? Intellect? Either way, he's gotta be good…_ "Captain of Squad Eleven, Kenpachi Zaraki," _I really hate this guy…_ "Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of the Twelfth Division and President of the Institute of Research and Development," _I really REALLY hate this guy…_ "And finally, Jushiro Ukitake of Squad Thirteen." _Seems like a decent fellow. Eh, I might actually get along with him._

"Know this: along with Captain Unohana and me, you must do as the captains say. Going against orders will be strictly punished." Semaj understood. "You may go now."

Semaj placed the sword in his sash. He kept his hand on the hilt as he walked between Zaraki and Kurotsuchi. He eyed them both as he walked past. A pang of fear entered his heart. They watched him out of the corner of their eyes as well. For some reason, Semaj had a feeling trouble would arise soon.

He left the chambers, leaving the captains to continue their talks. Without them around, this'd be a good time to explore. So what if people were gonna stare? Semaj didn't care now.

Momo sat in the corner of the room during the lieutenants' meeting. She couldn't concentrate. She kept thinking about Semaj and how he had saved her. She kept thinking about the kiss on the hand. Momo was still blushing.

Izuru couldn't help but wonder why she was still all giggly and goofy. Momo hadn't told anyone what went on.

There was no particular topic for the meeting. The lieutenants just used it as a way to hang out and gossip now. Mostly it was about the "red-eyed guy". There was a lot of talk about him… especially from the females.

"Did you see him, Rangiku? He was so cute!" Nanao began.

"Of course I saw him! Can't wait to meet him! Lucky Isane! You actually got to talk to him!"

Isane laughed. "Yeah, he's a really nice man. I 'slept' with him, in a sense."

Rangiku's eyes grew wide. "WHAT?!"

"I couldn't sleep, so I slept in the chair beside him the first night. It was peaceful."

Momo stood up. "I can top that." She smiled. "He saved me from a member of the Eleventh Division with ONE HAND! He picked me up and he ran nearly a mile to get me to safety. After that… he kissed my hand!" She blushed redder this time.

Izuru and the other males were amazed at this gallantry. The Squad Three lieutenant felt low compared to this new hero. He lowered his head at the thought of Momo with the man. Shuhei sensed his unease.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I bet that this guy doesn't know how to use a zanpakuto. You'd beat him in a fight."  
Izuru smiled slightly. "That's not what I'm worried about."

Tetsuzaemon got up. "You think this guy is gonna be a Soul Reaper?"

Rangiku turned her head towards him. "I'm hoping he does. He'd better be in Squad Ten, if he does." It was clear to everyone that she wanted to give the new guy a warm welcome.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Rangiku Matsumoto stumbled up and went towards it.

"Ugh… No, Captain. I didn't bring the sake here, if that's why you're here…" she said in a boring tone. She hinted to the others to hide the bottles of sake she had brought along with her. She opened the door and gasped. She stared at the figure and nearly fainted, only to have her arm grabbed by the man in the doorway before she could hit the ground.

Semaj Kotaru walked in the door. The men stared at him in awe. The females were giggling and blushing. Rangiku was bright red. Realizing she was falling back, she instantly got to her feet and turned so that Semaj's arm was around her waist. She turned her head towards him and smiled.

"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. And you're the new guy, right?"

Semaj smiled. His eyes kept their focus on her face and eyes, unlike most men. Rangiku was somewhat surprised he wasn't looking at her assets.

"Correct. I am Semaj Kotaru. Pleased to make your acquaintances."

Rangiku forgot about the others. She grabbed Semaj's hand, still blushing, and led him to the middle of the room. It was time for introductions. She pointed everyone out and named them off quickly. Semaj found an empty couch and sat promptly in the middle. In a matter of seconds, Isane, Rangiku, Momo, and Nanao surrounded him. Yachiru was even sitting on his lap.

The men were laughing.

"Semaj, you ladies' man!" Chojiro Sasakibe laughed.

Tetsuzaemon was flustered. "How can a runt like you get the ladies in a matter of seconds, when I can't even get one girl in a month?!"

Semaj just shrugged. "I have no idea." He laughed.

Just then, someone walked in. Semaj saw the small figure of a girl walk in. She was a thin girl with shiny purple hair. Her kimono was shorter than the others and she wore white gloves. She sat in the far corner of the room. She was quiet and shy.

"Nemu! Have you met the new guy?" Renj shouted.

The purple-haired girl looked up. Semaj's eyes met hers for a moment. She turned away from him. She shook her head. "No…"

"Well you should! He's a hit with the girls now!"

Nemu looked at Semaj again. She smiled politely and said, "Grettings. My name is Nemu Kurotsuchi." She instantly went back to her introvert self.

"Semaj Kotaru…" Semaj said.

They passed the hours together in the meeting room. They talked and had fun drinking and playing games. However, thoughts raced in Semaj's head. He couldn't help but look back at Nemu every now and then. He liked something about her. But then he thought…

_Kurotsuchi?_


	4. Friends and Fights

"Semaj, do you know which squad you're stationed with?" Renji asked.

Semaj gave a shrug. "I'm supposed to find one that'll accept me. I'm gonna need some explanation about the different squads."

Izuru stood up. "As you know, there are thirteen squads. Many of them possess special duties. For example, Squad Four is full of people skilled in healing, while the Eleventh Division is the close-quarters combat squad. Just because you're new, I'd say go for a squad without a duty. How about this: pick a lieutenant you like and join their squad."

All the girls seemed to be surrounding Semaj. "PICK ME! NO ME!" was all he could hear. Only Nemu didn't move. She just sat in the corner staring. He pushed Rangiku and Nanao out of his way.

"If it isn't too much trouble, can I be in your squad, Izuru?"

Izuru Kira smiled. "Glad to have you." He held his hand out and shook hands with the red eyed man. All the girls were disappointed, except for Momo; she knew she'd be seeing Semaj a lot if he was gonna join Izuru's squad.

An hour later, everyone cleared out of Izuru's office. Rangiku had thankfully taken all of the sake bottles this time instead of leaving a mess. Semaj Kotaru was busy taking care of some small messes the lieutenants had left.

"Wow. You haven't even been here that long and you're already being a big help."

"I try. So when do I meet the captain?"

Izuru tensed up. "Erm… we don't have a captain…"  
"Really? I thought every squad of the Thirteen Courtyard Squads had a captain."

"They are supposed to, but three of us don't. It's a long story..." Izuru's eyes looked watery.

The red-eyed man sensed his new superior wanted to avoid the topic.

Izuru cleared his eyes. "That's all in the past. Since you're new, I want you to spend this day going around exploring."

Kotaru bowed. "Thank you, lieutenant." He then walked out, eager to look around.

Kira smiled as he walked out. "Well, he sure is a dutiful kid."

Semaj seemed to be enjoying his new duty. He ran about the various streets. He began associating areas with the different squads. He often saw Soul Reapers with certain symbols in certain areas. They always seemed to be staring at him.

He pushed his way through one particularly crowded area. He finally found his way through and got into a clearing. Everyone was staring, but not as they had been before. These weren't looks of curiosity…

They were looks of anger.

He deciphered why rather quickly. He could see the man he had saved Momo from amongst the men. He was in the domain of the Eleventh Division. Slowly, the men seemed to be coming towards him. Semaj placed his hand on his zanpakuto.

"LEAVE HIM!" a voice called. All the Soul Reapers stopped. They moved away. The opening became greater. Against a wall, Semaj saw two Soul Reapers. One was a muscular bald man with red marks under his eyes, resting his sword against his chest and shoulder. The other man had wisteria hair in a bowl cut. His eyes were the same color. He also had little feathers on his eyelashes over his right eye. _What an odd couple…_

The bald man was the first to spoke. "So… I take it you're the one causing all the commotion around the Seireitei."

"Of course he is, Ikkaku. It's clear he's the one, judging by his total obliviousness in coming here. Not only that, but he's caused an ugly commotion. One day after his arrival and me managed to pick a fight with a member of our squad!" The other Soul Reaper talked in an arrogant way.

"And he beat him and with one hand… That's some skill for a newbie, Yumichika."

Semaj was somewhat annoyed by these two. He felt stupid just standing there. He approached cautiously, extending his hand out in friendship. "I am Semaj Kotaru, new member of Squad Three. I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I was protecting a girl from one of your comrades."

Yumkichika was the first to shake his hand. "Well, at least you had a reason to fight and didn't do it out of idiocy. I am Yumichika Ayasegawa, fifth seat of Squad Eleven."

Ikkaku only stood there. Ikkaku Madarame… third seat."

"Well, since we cleared up that little misunderstanding, I guess I'll be on my way," Semaj said. He made his way back to the exit of the courtyard, but the Soul Reapers blocked his path.

Ikkaku got off the wall. He walked towards Semaj. "When I told them to leave you, I didn't mean I was gonna let you be our guest and be unharmed," Semaj looked at him curiously, "I told them to leave you because you are mine…"

Semaj's eyes widened. He jumped away from the bald man and put his hand on his hilt. Yumichika stood by Ikkaku's side.

"My friend here has a habit of picking fights. It's not to kill you or anything, but it is to test your strength. Have you used you're zanpakuto yet?"

Semaj shook his head, but he drew his blade. The blade was extremely long. Soul Reapers were all murmuring amongst themselves.

"Ikkaku, he's barely worth the trouble. He hasn't even had training yet!"

Ikkaku chortled. "So? This guy has some strong spiritual pressure. Tell me, is it true that you were found impaled by your own blade?"

"It's true, baldy! I saw it myself!" a cry called out. Everone turned, seeing little Yachiru on the roof of a building. "GO, KITTY! GO!"

"BALDY?! KITTY?! So you're rooting for this guy? Well, we'll see how this goes…"

"GODDAMN THAT ELEVENTH SQUAD!"

Nemu was standing behind her captain. Captain Kurotsuchi was trying to work mix a concoction of some sort, but the ruckus from the neighboring courtyard was distracting.

"Nemu! Go and tell Captain Zaraki to keep his boys down! How can I work with them being stupid and thuggish every day?!" Kurotsuchi roared. Nemu went to the window to see what was going on. She gasped.

"It's… It's the new Soul Reaper-in-training."

Kurotsuchi was ceased ranting and was very still. Nemu turned to him. A great smile crossed his lips.

"Interesting."

The two clashed swords. Sparks flew. The Soul Reapers in the courtyard gave Madarame and Kotaru a wide berth. Yumichika was amazed at what was going on.

The two seemed to be equally matched. It had been three minutes and neither one of them had injured the other. Ikkaku was fast aggressive, as was Semaj.

Ikkaku and Semaj were currently pushing their crossed swords. Yachiru kept cheering Semaj— or rather "Kitty"— on.

"For someone who hasn't wielded a zanpakuto before, you sure can fight," Ikkaku comment, staring Semaj in the face.

"To be honest, I don't really know what I'm doing," Semaj sighed, "Seems there's only one word for it..."

A confused look crossed Ikkaku's face. In that instant, Semaj kicked his opponent's leg from beneath him. Ikkaku stumbled, trying to keep his balance. A sharp pain pierced his arm. He felt his blood spill out. He turned towards his foe. Semaj had bounced back. His blood dripped from his blade.

"Instinct."

Ikkaku laughed. He then undid the bottom of his sword. Semaj was confused at what the man was doing. His foe put his fingers in. A small amount of goop went from his fingers to the wound. The blood stopped gushing.

"Ointment?"

"Well, you gotta be prepared… PREPARE FOR THIS!" He thrust his sword into its sheath, "Split apart! Hozukimaru!"

Suddenly, Ikkaku's sword transformed before Semaj's eyes. His foe was no longer wielding a sword; Ikkaku had a naginata. Kotaru backed away slightly.

Madarame was not a hesitant. In a flash, he grabbed his new weapon and leaped, just falling short of hitting Semaj. His blade was planted in the ground. Semaj saw his chance to flank his foe. With amazing agility, he ran straight for the spear. He ran up the shaft and leaped high in the air.

Ikkaku smiled. Semaj didn't expect what was to happen next.

Ikkaku then pulled his naginata out of the ground with incredible force. It flew high in the air, taking him with it. Semaj was to the warrior's side. Ikkau spun the blade with great speed. Kotaru dodged in the air, wondering what the next move was. Ikkaku stopped spinning, holding the pommel tight.

Hozukimaru didn't stop.

The blade caught Semaj on the bridge of his nose. He spiraled to the floor, crashing into the cold concrete floor. Blood poured everywhere. He slowly opened his eyes a crack. Ikkaku's zanpakuto was no ordinary naginata. It was a three-sectioned staff.

Yumichika looked on. "Well, what a spectacular performance." Yachiru stopped cheering.

"BALDY! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOSE!!!!

Semaj couldn't move. He felt paralyzed. He noticed he left a crater in the ground. _Damn…_ he thought. Ikkaku hurled his odd weapon at his downed enemy.

"Taste this, newbie!"

Semaj closed his eyes as the blade made its way for his heart.


	5. Ippiki Ookami

Semaj didn't feel the weapon strike its final blow. He opened his eyes a crack. Ikkaku wasn't there, nor were Yumichika, Yachiru and the other Soul Reapers. He wasn't even in the Sereitei from the looks of it.

He was in the middle of some kind of snowy forest. Pine trees surrounded him, creating a sort of maze the made Semaj anxious. Boulders were scattered about. He was on what appeared to be a mountainside. Semaj could see a cave above.

He quickly made his way up the mountain to shelter himself from the chills of the cold wind. Hiding amongst some rocks, he felt much more secure. The cave was warm and damp.

Something odd kept prodding at his mind, but he didn't know what. He looked around to see if there was anything odd about the cave, but nothing. It wasn't until moments later that he realized what the problem was.

_Where the hell is my zanpakuto?_

Suddenly he heard a growl from the back of the cave. Padded footsteps were walking towards him. Out of the darkness, Semaj could make out two amber eyes looking at him. He grew frightened as it stepped into the light. A great black wolf stood before him. Scars covered its face. The teeth were a pure white and looked incredibly sharp. Semaj winced and stuck his hand out in front of him.

"Do not fear me," a voice echoed through the cave. Semaj looked around looking for a man. Only he and the wolf were present. _Was it the wolf? Impossible. Wolves don't talk._

"Semaj Kotaru," _it really was the wolf, _"I am no foe. I have been your friend for some time now. You may not have seen me like this, but you and I have been close," Semaj had a confused look.

"Semaj… I am your zanpakuto."

He gasped. "How the hell?! But you're a beast! How can you be my sword?!"

A chuckle came from the wolf. "I'm a beast, but you are no different. You and I are the same; a part of each other. I embody your sword, your power, your soul. I am here to help you. My name is Ippiki Ookami."

"Help me? How will you help me? What can you do? Leap on Baldy and gnaw his arm off? I could use that about now."

"Don't be an idiot. I'm going to give you a little test. Do as I say, and I will grant you a taste of my power to defeat this bald man," Ippiki Ookami looked outside the cave.

"What do you mean?"  
"I'll teach you one of the steps to make you an efficient Soul Reaper. You know my name, so you are already know half of the process of shikai."  
"Shikai?"

"Shikai is the first released state of the zapakuto. That's what Ikkaku just used. It's what allowed him to gain the upper hand on you. Semaj Kotaru, what do you see outside?"

He looked out of the cave. The wind was blowing incredibly fast. It was a full-on blizzard. Semaj couldn't see five feet out. The trees, rocks, and sky were blocked. All he could tell was that the whiteout was slowly graying. Night was falling.

"What I'm looking at is total suicide."

Ippiki Ookami chuckled. "Are you afraid of going out there?"

"Well, no. But I'm not stupid enough to go out there."  
"Intelligence or cowardice? Which is it?" The white teeth were gleaming.

Semaj looked down to the hard cold floor of the cave. "Truth be told, a bit of both."

"I thought as much… I'm scared too. I hate having to go out there, but I have to face that fear. I'm afraid of dying out there, but more afraid of letting myself die here. I can see into your mind. I can see you are afraid of going out there…"

"So you want me to go out there and face my fear of death?  
"Yes."

In that moment, Semaj stood and braced himself for what he was about to do.

"Face your fears, Semaj. Is death your greatest fear?"

There was no answer. The soon-to-be Soul Reaper ran out into the cold. He could feel the biting wind go through his clothes. It pierced him like a spear. The squinted his eyes, stopping ice from blinding him. Semaj kept running… running into the cold… running into the great empty landscape… running into death.

He ran until he could run no more. The wintry air exahasted him quickly. Semaj had managed to run into a tree. He attempted to get behind it for shelter, but the wind was coming from every direction. He lay against the tree, crying. Thoughts zoomed across his mind. He wished Captain Unohana and Isane were there to hold him and protect him. He wanted Izuru and Momo to save him. He wanted to die among them… and not be alone.

_No_

_Good… awaken now, Semaj Kotaru. You will know what to do._

_**********************************************************_

"CRY WITH ME! IPPIKI OOKAMI!!"

As Hozukimaru was speeding towards its target, clouds of dust suddenly swirled. Ikkaku and everyone stood in awe. The zanpakuto was repelled and was forced into the wall behind its master. As the dust cleared, they could see why.

Semaj Kotaru stood in the center of the small crater he had created. But he wasn't what everyone was marveling at. His weapon had changed drastically; it was nothing like the long nodachi he held moments before. It appeared to be a long double-sided halberd, about eighteen feet in length. The blades themselves were extremely large, possessing holes in them that Semaj could easily jump through. They were symmetrical in looks, but took opposite sides of the shaft. Behind the blades was a long strip of metal that curved around the shaft like a candy cane. Just below the blades were long banners of silk of acid green. All of Semaj's wounds had healed. He only had a large scar on the bridge of his nose in the shape of an upside-down V.

_Holy crap_, Ikkaku thought. Yumichika must have had the same thought in his head. His purple eyes were wide. Yachiru had her mouth wide open.

Captain Kurotsuchi was intrigued. "How very interesting. I suppose I should go down and get a better view of the spectacle. I can't wait to see the battle's conclusion," he walked out of the room. Nemu kept her eyes focused on the young Soul Reaper from the window.

_You really are a unique boy._

Semaj charged out of the crater, twirling the weapon with his fingers over his head. He thrust the weapon at Ikkaku, who barely dodged it. The weapon smashed into the wall behind him, breaking a great hole in it. Semaj then used the other end to strike. He was able to knick Ikkaku in the chest. He roared in pain as blood spurted out. Leaping over his opponent, he reached his own zanpakuto and made a swing at the red-eyed foe. Semaj grabbed his weapon's shaft and pulled himself up. With the agility and grace of an acrobat, he flew up between the handle and the metal strip. Ikkaku was surprised.

_Damn, he's fast… and strong._

A moment later, one of the silken banners wrapped around his face. Ikkaku struggled to get it off, trying to break free so Semaj couldn't strike. However when he was finally able to break out, he was surprised to see Semaj didn't move. He just stood there on the shaft of his zanpakuto. His red eyes shined.

A strange thing happened. Ikkaku felt this unusual chill in him. His eyes clouded.

"What the hell is this? Some kind of trick?"

"My zanpakuto Ippiki Ookami has a very remarkable power. Ippiki Ookami is very perceptive. It can delve into your mind and learn about your personality. Its personal favorite thing to study is a person's fears. It uses the banners to wrap around its victim to gather the information it needs. It knows your mind now. Let's see what it is you fear!"

As his vision failed him, Ikkaku could see something amidst the darkness. It was a man. The poor man was a shriveled soul. His bones were visible through the tight skin. He seemed to be reaching for something, but could barely lift his arm up. The man fell face first into the ground. Ikkaku approached the man slowly. He crouched to turn him over. When he saw the face, he was horrified.

It was his face.

He was the weak man.

"NO!" Ikkaku screamed. "This isn't me! It will never be me! I am stronger than that! I will DIE strong!"

Everyone stared at Ikkaku. All the Soul Reapers could see that he was having a panic attack. He was screaming and crying— doing things Ikkaku Madarame would never do normally. Yumichika ran to his side trying to calm him down. There was almost no luck. Yachiru leaped off the roof she was on and landed next to him.

"YAY! KITTY! GOOD JOB! YOU KICKED HIS BUTT!"

Semaj hopped off of his zanpakuto. It returned to its original form. Carefully, he placed it back in its sheath. Ikkaku's madness slowly began to wear off. He stared at Semaj with a look that could only be described as a combination of fear, respect, and joy.

"Wow, kid. Never thought a runt like you could pack that much of a punch."

Semaj offered his hand, which Ikkaku shook warmly. But then Semaj noticed something odd: after shaking his hand, Ikkaku was looking past Semaj with a startled look. Yumichika and Yachiru had the same look.

"Rip him apart! Ashisogi Jizo!" a cold voice hissed.

Before Semaj could turn around, a searing pain caught him by surprise. He looked own to his chest; a golden blade was sticking out of him, just inches from his heart. He could feel two more blades still in his back. They were being dug inside of him. Semaj couldn't move. He was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. He couldn't fight it. All he could do was hear the cold voice of his assailant.

"You'll make a fine test subject for my research, you moronic beast."

_Damn you, Kurotsuchi._

And then, he went blank.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Kurotsuchi?!" Yumichika yelled.

"Shut up you insignificant maggot. Do not talk back to a captain. You are only the fifth seat, after all. And besides, I'm doing you a favor: now that I have him, I can take revenge on him for you. Isn't that what you want?"

"No!" Ikkaku shouted, "Before I thought he was a weakling, but he's gained my respect. I won't let you take him!"

"Oh, really? Now would you like to suffer the same fate and be my next test subject?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi had a devious smile on his face. Ikkaku quickly backed off. "Nemu! Take the subject back to my lab. Make preparations as well. I'll begin tomorrow."

_Tomorrow is going to be a very fun day_, he thought.


	6. In the Company of a Madman

He was slowly regaining consciousness. As his sight came back to him, Semaj knew things were wrong. Though his vision was blurred, he could tell his robe hakama and shirt were off. He was only wearing his black pants. He tried to move but couldn't. Something cold was keeping him in place. Semaj looked at his legs and arms.

He was being suspended over the floor by chains. Outstretched, he felt exposed. He couldn't feel his zanpakuto on him. Semaj struggled to free himself, but it was useless.

"My, my, I would have thought that a strong soul such as yourself would have broken these shackles hours ago. How pitiful," Semaj could here footsteps. He craned his head to see Captain Kurotsuchi. The skeletal paint, gold eyes, and odd hat frightened him. "But this works to my advantage. Nemu! The chains!"

In an instant, the chains were moving. They seemed to all gather to one part of a nearby wall. As they coiled up, Semaj felt himself fly towards it. He crashed into the wall with a great thud. He felt his back get sore. He fought to get the chains off again, but still they would not move. He was still exposed.

"I can see that our subject's body has taken some damage. Thankfully I've closed up the wound I gave him. His nose and arms are still covered in scars," Mayuri sneered. Semaj looked at his arms. The hundreds of tallies were there. As he looked into the scientist's eyes, he could see his own reflection; beneath his mane of hair, a scar like an upside down V decorated the bridge of his nose.

"What the hell are you doing, Kurotsuchi?!" Semaj growled. His red eyes burned like fire.

"Well, consider this a test of strength like what the Eleventh Division did for you. Only this one is much more different," Mayuri pulled a syringe from his robes. Semaj was horrified. Inside was a dark brown liquid. He could tell it was dangerous.

"What… what is that?!"

"Oh, just a creation of mine. I've used it on multiple animals and a Hollow in the past, yet have never had a REAL subject to experiment it on. The fauna died instantaneously and the Hollow vaporized in a matter of seconds. However, a soul of your caliber should take it quite well."

A grim smiled crossed the Twelfth Division Captain's lips.

"You monster…"

Before he knew it, Kurotsuchi had stuck the needle in Semaj's chest. He could feel a small prick. Kurotsuchi stepped back. In a few seconds, the area he had injected the liquid into began to burn. The heat traveled through his body and intensified. Semaj groaned and closed his eyes. It felt like he was being set afire. A horrid pain shot through his veins. All he could do was scream and howl in agony. Kurotsuchi walked away.

"The pain will eventually cease. I estimate it shall in approximately three hours… if you're still alive that is."

"DAMN YOU, KUROTSUCHI! DAMN YOU!"

The mad scientist left the room. All Semaj could do yowl and try to keep his mind off of the pain. He wanted someone to save him.

_Where is everyone_, he thought. _Izuru? Momo? Unohana? Isane? Someone? Anyone! Please!_

-------------

He was hung against the wall for hours. The pain slowly disappeared, but he felt sore as hell.

Semaj heard a door open. He looked up to see the almost emotionless face of Nemu. Semaj feared the worst, seeing as she was Mayuri's subordinate. She walked over to him, staring at him face-to-face.

Semaj groaned slightly. Pain was welling up again in his chest. Another surge? Slowly heat built up. The same pain shot through him. He groaned and closed his eyes again. Nemu stood there, watching him being tortured.

Suddenly, he felt something odd on his chest: a moist suction. He looked down. Nemu was sucking on his chest. He had no idea what was going on until he could feel the pain go from across his body to the area she was. She was sucking the liquid out. She was saving him.

The pain disappeared completely. Nemu pulled a small key from her bracer and undid the chains. Semaj fell out of them, free from their cold grasp.

"Thank you, Nemu."

As he stood up, Nemu tensed up. She began moaning. She touched her lips. Semaj knew what was going on: she had swallowed the liquid.

Nemu fell to the ground, shouting in pain. He eyes widened as she writhed on the floor. Semaj felt scared. He needed to help her.

Without a hesitation, he rushed to her and cradled her in his arms. He grabbed her head and wrapped his lips around hers and sucked the poison out. This time, with each intake, he spat the liquid onto the floor. He did this countless times. Nemu's body grew more still. When he could tell the pain was gone, she was pale and didn't move a muscle. Semaj was scared._ Is she dead? She can't be… NO! _

"Thank you, Kotaru."

Semaj looked down at her. Her green eyes moved slightly. Semaj smiled and brushed her hair out of her eyes, as it had been made messy by her flailing. He embraced her and she didn't make a move. Nemu had a confused look on her face. _Somehow_, she thought, _this feels… good. It feels… right._

"NEMU!!!"

Semaj got up, Nemu still in his arms. He turned and saw Captain Kurotsuchi. In his hand was a long whip. Semaj thrust Nemu towards her captain. He knew that nothing he could do would stop the oncoming punishment.

"You little brat!" Kurotsuchi raised his whip.

Kotaru closed his eyes, waiting for the leather thongs to strike him.

He heard the crack, but felt no pain. He heard a scream that was not his. Semaj opened his eyes, horrified at what he saw. Captain Kurotsuchi was striking Nemu. She was on the ground just laying there and taking the torture. Kurotsuchi was violently swinging the whip. Semaj wondered how she could take it. He couldn't even take watching her suffer.

"You wench! What are you thinking? Helping him?! Hindering my experimentation?! You'll pay Nemu! I brought you into this world! You should be thankful and obey me, you ungrateful little…"

Before Mayuri could finish and make his last blow, Semaj dashed in front of him. He held his arm out in front of his. As the whip struck, it wrapped around tightly and painfully. Semaj yelled in pain and fell to the ground. The arm scars the whip had hit opened up and bled. He had saved Nemu once again. He looked at her. Her dull eyes stared at him. Once again, almost lifeless.

"YOU FOOL! Why do you insist of helping her so much? Nemu, chain him up again."

Without hesitation, Nemu stood up. Semaj was shocked. She grabbed Semaj by the neck and dragged him back to the chains. In a matter of seconds, he was imprisoned again.

"Nemu? What the hell are you doing?" Semaj asked. She simply stared at him. However, she showed emotion this time; a tear trickled down her cheek. Semaj turned his head to the side and whispered to her. "Nemu, you're stronger than you think you are. I know you're afraid of him. But you can stand up to him."

More tears seemed to stream out of her green eyes. She touched her cheek and shock spread across her face. In haste, she turned and walked out of the room. Semaj was left with Mayuri.

The scientist approached him. The skeletal face was twisted with anger. The long nail on the middle finger lightly touched the scar on Semaj's nose. He flinched.

"Well… it seems you've been able to survive the test…"

"You bastard!"

The fingernail pressed into the scar. Semaj groaned.

"But, I won't stop until you break."

Semaj knew he was serious.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"To be honest, I don't hate you. I just don't like you to the extent that I find you a very interesting subject. Think about it: your mysterious arrival, incredible spiritual pressure, and amazing abilities… not to mention that you managed to fight and defeat a seated Soul Reaper without any training and have the ability to use Shikai! You're very interesting. Indeed, quite intriguing. However, according to my data, there isn't anything else unusual about you. You're just like the others," Mayuri sneered.

"Oh really? Then why keep me here?"

"As I said, I really don't like you."

Semaj chuckled, despite pain. Kurotsuchi took his fingernail out of the scar. Anger crossed his face again. "What's so funny?!"

A large smile came upon Semaj's face.

"The feeling's mutual."


	7. Freedom and Fun

Darkness. That was all Semaj could see. He was falling into the darkness. He had no idea how fast he was falling. He reached and looked around for a place to grab onto. There was nothing. He tried to scream but he could make no sound.

_Unohana? Isane? Momo? Izuru? Someone! Please help me_, was all he could think of. Below him, the forms of the Soul Reapers he had met were visible. He tried to reach out to them. Semaj was able to grab a hold of someone's hand. He looked to see it was. The warm face of Captain Unohana was smiling down at him. Isane was beside her. They seemed to be mouthing something. He couldn't make them out. Semaj looked carefully at their mouths, but it was no use.

His grip on Unohana's hand was faltering. His fingers were slipping from hers. Fear overtook him as he was once again falling into the dark abyss…

This time, there was no one to save him…

*******************************************************************

Semaj woke up from the dream with a scream. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He was panting heavily and struggled to move his arms. He remembered he was in Kurotsuchi's lab.

"Damn," he whispered to himself, "the dream is back again." He had been having this dream since the night Unohana and Isane found him. There were always minute differences in it every night, such as who held his hand before he fell. The only time he slept soundly was when Isane had held his hand when she too could not sleep.

As he pondered on the dream, he made out the sounds of echoing footsteps in the distance. They grew louder, and with them he heard many voices. He distinctly heard Captain Kurotsuchi's voice; its tone was filled with annoyance and seemed argumentative. He could make out four other voices as well. When the door on the far end of the room opened, he saw Izuru and Captains Ukitake, Unohana, and Kyoraku being led in by Nemu. The mad scientist was trailing behind them, out of breath from his feeble attempts to bar them from entry.

"Semaj!" Izuru gasped. His eyes grew wide as he saw his friend imprisoned in the chains. Semaj seemed thinner and the harsh pains he had endured were defined by the sadness in his eyes.

"You don't understand… I was only trying to—"

"Kurotsuchi," Captain Unohana interrupted. He voice was soft, yet authoritative at the same time. "What could you be doing that could possibly justify the torturing of one of our own?"

Kurotsuchi sweated, just as Semaj had been. His makeup was starting to wash off where the drips ran down his face. "I only meant to test how strong he was, to find out how a runt with so little experience can learn shikai in such a small amount of time and endure so much pain."

"So your answer is to give him more pain?!" Izuru ran towards his subordinate and slashed the chains holding him. Semaj collapsed to the floor. A hand offered by the blond was much appreciated.

Kyoraku placed a firm hand on Kurotsuchi's shoulder. "Mayuri, as much as I'd hate to break it to you, you're kind of breaking the law." Ukitake nodded.

"But— but— but—"

"Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, by order of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, you are hereby under arrest."

Ukitake's words stung Mayuri like a wasp.

"You can't do that! What will become of my squad? My research?! My test subjects?!"

"Relax, Smarty. I'm sure you'll only be jailed for a short time. Nemu should be able to handle things on her own and—"

"You're not taking her too?! She helped me with the experiments! She's just as guilty as I am!"

Unohana gave the scientist a sharp glance. "True, but she doesn't take nearly as much enjoyment in pain as you do."

Those words seemed worse.

Mayuri kept arguing, but to no avail. Ukitake and Kyoraku escorted him out. Nemu stood to the side idly. She seemed confused as to what to do. Izuru put Semaj's arm over his shoulder and led him out of the building. Retsu followed behind them. Semaj was barely able to move his legs, being dragged most of the way up.

Time flew by quickly, or so it seemed to Semaj. The next thing he knew, he was in bed at the Third Squad's headquarters. The room was quiet, but he knew that outside the door it was hectic. Izuru, Isane, Momo, Shuuhei, and Rangiku were preparing a meal for him to make up for the last couple days of his imprisonment. The captains and other Soul Reapers were buzzing with news and rumors of what was going on. The only peace of mind Semaj had, however, was that that psycho was going to be locked up for a while.

He looked over to his left. He could see Ippiki Ookami lying on a nearby couch. It was almost like it was taking a nap.

The door opened. Semaj was glad to see his friends coming in; even more so to see them come in with food. Momo and Rangiku placed a tray of food on his lap and sat beside him. Isane, Izuru, and Shuhei sat on the couch. They had put together a large luncheon of meats, fish, fruit, vegetables, and soups. Rangiku, of course, also brought sake. She and Momo grabbed the chopsticks and were attempting to feed Semaj themselves, claiming that he should rest his arms.

Izuru munched on a piece of beef. "How are you feeling?" His eyes were fixed on the new scar on the bridge of Semaj's nose.

The red-eyed youth groaned slightly. "I'm fine. I'm just glad to not be in such pain anymore."

"Poor Kitty!" Momo and Rangiku chimed in unison. Semaj glared at them with annoyance.

"Yachiru told us about the battle," Isane explained. "You really beat Ikkaku? I'm impressed."

"We all are," Shuhei interjected. "I mean… you JUST got your zapakuto. And you haven't even gotten training, but you already know shikai. How the hell did that happen?"

"I… I don't really know. Ippiki Ookami just came to me in the middle of the fight…"

"Who?"

"My zapakuto."

Isane grabbed Semaj's nodachi and put it in her lap. "It spoke to you? DURING the fight?"

"Exactly."

Izuru put his hands behind his head and laid back. "That's really weird. It's rare that someone can do all that in such a short time."

"I know," Semaj acknowledged. "But… it just happened."

The meal continued. Rangiku and Momo once again had the chance to go giggly all over 'Kitty'. He was slightly annoyed, but found the attention funny. Izuru felt some jealousy after watching Momo. He wanted to be looked at the way she looked at him… or the way he looked at her.

Isane had similar thoughts running in her mind. When Semaj had been brought back from the Squad Twelve lab, she had been the one to treat him. After treating the area where Kurotsuchi had injected the odd chemicals into him, she had just sat there staring at him. She felt awful that something like this could happen to him. Isane had done her best to reassure Semaj that things would be fine… then this happened. She had cried a little and just wanted to hold him in her arms and protect him. She didn't know why she wanted to… she just did. As the group began talking more, she pulled her knees close to her body.

"So, when do you start training?" Hisagi asked eagerly.

Semaj scratched his head. "No idea. I need to talk to Unohana about it when I'm able to walk without falling face-first into the floor." He gave a weak laugh. Isane's eyes brightened: she'd be seeing more of him.

For nearly an hour, the group was immersed in eating, talking, and joking. Then, Rangiku came up with a very interesting idea.

"Anyone up for a game of Truth-or-Dare?" she smiled and everyone got excited. Semaj tilted his head in confusion: he had never played this game before.

Momo saw his curiosity and began telling him the rules. "What you do is you have to ask someone 'truth or dare'. If they say dare, you have to dare them something and they have to do it. If it's a truth, you have to ask them a question and they have to answer honestly. Then it's their turn to ask someone. Want an example?" Semaj nodded.

"OK, I'll start then," Shuhei began. He thought carefully on who to ask until he finally pointed at Rangiku. "Truth or dare?"

Rangiku's smile grew. "Dare." She winked.

"I dare you to not drink any alcohol for the rest of the month."

Her smile faded and her face darkened. "NO! You can't expect me to do that! It's stressful being a lieutenant for Squad Ten! There's no way I can possibly make it without a drink every now and then! It helps me relax!" It was a pathetically humorous sight... that or humorously pathetic.

Everybody laughed. "Your turn, Rangiku," Momo chimed.

Rangiku calmed herself and immediately looked at Momo. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth! I hate dares!"

"Hmmm… have you ever imagined another Soul Reaper naked?" her devilish smile came back. Momo was startled and blushed tremendously.

"Um… yes," she squeaked. Rangiku had an idea of who it was. "My turn… hmm… Semaj, truth or dare?"

Semaj took a couple moments to think. He deemed it best to pick truth due to his current state. "Truth."

She had a good idea as to what to ask: "Who do you think is the cutest girl you have met in Soul Society?" After asking, she immediately struck a pose. Not missing a beat, Rangiku did the same, taking care to make it as sensual-looking as possible. Isane didn't do anything; she knew it'd be one or the other.

Semaj simply chuckled. He laid back on his elbows and smiled. "Actually… that's a no brainer for me. In all honesty, it's Isane."

Everyone was shocked. Momo and Rangikus' eyes were huge and their mouths were wide open. Izuru and Shuhei laughed. Isane didn't know what to do. Many things had rushed into her head at that moment.

_Is he telling the truth? Does he really think I'm cute? I was wrong! This is so weird!_

Semaj just smiled at her.

Later that day, Isane found herself attending to her duties as Captain Unohana's lieutenant. Today, her job was to produce some more bottles of medicine since the infirmary was running low. Isane was spending a good three hours grinding herbs in a mortar and pestle.

She found it oddly soothing. She was alone in a small room and this gave her time to think. She thought of medicine, herbs, cures, ointments, proportions, and teas to start off with. But as time dragged on her thoughts were elsewhere. Her mind ventured to Semaj Kotaru.

She couldn't help it; he fascinated her. His red eyes were hypnotizing to look into. His black hair was soft and luscious to the touch. His voice always possessed a gentle yet strong tone. Semaj's body intrigued her. She wondered how he had acquired his various arm scars. This was the only thing about him that frightened her. She was afraid something was going to happen to him. She didn't want him to be the subject of more pain.

Her thoughts distracted her from the task at hand. When she snapped out of it, she found out she had crushed the herbs in her mortar to such an extent that they were far beyond use. She put her head in her hands and, for some reason, began to cry.

Somewhere beyond the Sereitei, somewhere beyond the town and far into the woods, a man was resting on a rock.

He had brown hair that was down to his shoulders. He was wearing a white uniform of some kind with a black sash and white gloves. He put his gloved hand over his light blue eyes to block out the sun. The sun's gleaming rays reflected off his sword's golden sheath.

"Wake up, Lazy Bum!" a voice was shouting. The man reluctantly rolled over. A girl was running over towards him. She had on a white and black vest and briefs. On her head was an odd helmet with two horns, one of which was merely a stump. An eyepiece covered her left eye, but her right eye was a light pink. Her short hair was light green. "I said 'WAKE UP!'"

She commenced jumping on the man, who groaned and tried swatting her away.

"I'm up! Lilynette, I'm up!" He put his hands behind his head and stared at the girl. "What's so important that you had to wake me up for?"

"It's big stuff, Starrk! I found out about the stuff Szayel was walking about! Found out where it came from!"

Starrk sat up. "Do tell."

"There's some new kid. He's super strong, super fast, and… SUPER CUTE!" Lilynette went into a childish state and kept saying how this Semaj character was dreamy and romantic. Starrk was only more annoyed.

"Well, at least you've gotten some information. I'll report to Lord Aizen. I need you to do some more… espionage."

Lilynette grinned. She had a few ideas in mind.


	8. A Few Predicaments

Kiyone Kotetsu was skipping on the path and singing to herself. Captain Ukitake had given her the day off, so she decided to go see her sister. It was something she always did during her days off. This was going to especially fun because she'd get to learn about the new guy.

As Kiyone entered the Squad Four barracks, she saw the many squad members attending to injured Soul Reapers. Most of these cases were minor. Others were dealing with medicinal treatments for some with small colds. Recently, people have been catching the flu.

Kiyone navigated her way deeper into the headquarters until she was outside of Isane's room. As she was about to open the door, she heard a strange sound. At first she didn't know what it was. After a couple moments, she realized what it was: her big sister was crying.

She opened the door and confirmed her suspicions. Isane had her head in her hands and was crying. Her tears stained her hair braids, which were now stuck to her cheek.

Kiyone immediately rushed to her sister's side. She placed her hand on her back and rubbed gently. "Isane. Isane, I'm here. Don't worry. What's the matter, sis?" She did her best to comfort her.

Isane raised her head. Her light purple eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm… I'm confused," she began. Kiyone, who was normally fidgety and carefree was acting seriously and paying attention. "I keep getting this really odd feeling. Whenever I'm with Semaj— the new guy— I get this urge to get close to him and protect him. After he was injured, I couldn't forgive myself. I don't know why I'm feeling like this."

Kiyone definitely didn't have an answer on hand.  
"It's OK, Sis. Maybe Captain Ukitake or Unohana or someone else knows. Ask them when you can. Just try not to think about it."

Isane gave a small nervous smile. "Thanks, Sis… so… what brings you here?"

"Just you," Kiyone chanted. Her childish smile filled her lips and cheered Isane up.

************

Semaj rose up out of bed. He was tired of being bedridden. He put on his uniform and decided to do some more exploring. This time, he planned to be more cautious.

He made his way around the many streets and buildings. Every now and then he'd see a lieutenant and say 'hi' to them and have a small conversation. Few captains were eager to speak with him, but upon finding Yachiru he learned that Captain Zaraki was looking for him to establish a duel… something he definitely did not want.

It wasn't long after seeing the small pink-haired girl that he ran into Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichia Ayasegawa. The former eagerly ran up to him. Semaj wasn't sure whether to run away or draw his sword.

"Semaj!" the bald man shouted. "That was some battle we had! By far the most epic I've had all month!"

"I'll give you that, Ikkaku, but need I remind you that you had your ass kicked?" Yumichika laughed.

"Shut up! Just because I lost doesn't make it any less awesome! So how are you? We heard about Captain Kurotsuchi. You're not hurt, are you?"

Semaj shuddered at the very name. "I'm fine. I'm just glad to be alive. Now that Nemu is in charge of the Twelfth Squad for now, I should imagine that I'll at least be asked to be in an experiment."

The two members of the Eleventh Squad chuckled. "Mayuri is a psychopath. I don't know what the hell they plan to do with him. I hope he gets stripped of his rank," Ikkaku said.

Yumichika scoffed. "The way I see it, he's definitely going to have a much more severe punishment. This is the umpteenth time he's done something like this and he should pay for such an ugly act."

Semaj agreed. "Since we are speaking of captains, do you know where Zaraki is?"

"No. Why? Plan to fight him?"

"Actually, I plan on getting as far from him from possible."

**************

The garden was peaceful.

Unohana sat underneath a willow tree. She was surrounded by herbs and sweet-smelling flowers. The sounds of chirping birds filled her with a sense of euphoria. She closed her eyes and smiled.

Her eyes opened and she looked down the hillock. Isane was making her way up the path. Her face was fixed in her usual nervous and embarrassed countenance. Her warm smile welcomed her lieutenant.

"Yes, Isane?"

"Captain Unohana," Isane got on her knees and bowed. "I… er… I need your help with something."

Unohana's cheerful expression didn't fade. "What is it? Not enough herbs? Here, take some."

"No thank you. It's not that. It's something… personal."

The kindly mature woman's face brightened. "Sit by me. I will do my best to help out any way I can."

The younger woman stepped up onto the grass and sat beside her superior. She felt awkward doing so. Unohana placed a gentle hand on her leg to reassure her.

"I… I've been having these weird thoughts lately..."

"Oh?"

"About Semaj…"

"Ahh… I see. You're wondering about how he came here? Why he's here?"

"Actually, not as much as I thought I'd be," Isane was beginning to grow more comfortable around her Captain, "He's been in my head and I can't get him out. The first night he was here, when both of us were having nightmares, you told me to sleep beside him. As soon as I touched his hand, he stilled and silenced his moans. When I put my head on his shoulder, I felt peaceful and slept easy. After that, I've been having nightmares every night."

"So has he," Retsu interjected.

"And after Mayuri took him, I felt this odd fear. Before he was taken to the captains, I told him he'd be OK and was so kind to him. He was so kind to me. I kept feeling guilty, like I had broken a promise. I felt like I should have been there to stop the fight and save him. I wanted to end his pain. And I don't know what these feelings mean. He intrigues me, Captain Unohana."

"He intrigues me too. I think I have a simple explanation to your problem," Unohana replied. She giggled quietly.

Isane was confused. "Captain Unohana? What is it? What's so funny?"

"Isn't it obvious, Isane?"

The lieutenant shook her head.

Unohana leaned in close and put her hand on top of Isane's hand. "You like him."

Isane blushed. "So does half of Sereitei! Why are my feelings so different to everyone else's if it's the same thing?"

"Because you've actually gotten to know him a little bit. They just see him as…as… what's the word?"

"'Sexy'?"

"I was thinking 'chivalrous', but that works too." The two women laughed. Isane thought about Unohana's conclusion. _Is she right? She must be. It's Unohana after all._

"How do you think I should go about this?"

"Go about what?"

"Deal with liking him."

Unohana held her hand tighter. "Isane, I can't tell you how to like someone. There are no particular rules. Just do what you always do: follow your heart."

"Thank you, Captain."

"It was no trouble at all."

The two women began talking about other things and laughing. Isane Kotetsu felt happy one pesky thought was out of the way in her mind. A million more were left. She was smiling happily and forgot them for now.

*******

It was sunset. He stood with his back against the tree. Izuru watched as Momo and Rangiku practiced fighting in the old training grounds near Captain Ukitake's manor, which now consisted of nothing more than a large crater. The two women decided to fight only using their sealed zanpakuto to see who the better fighter was. Currently, Rangiku had the upper-hand.

Izuru looked down as Momo ducked and dodged all of Rangiku's attacks. After leaping over a strike to her legs, she kicked Rangiku in the face. Izuru chuckled at her unusual attack.

He wanted to go and congratulate her on the move, but worried that would have been too obvious of a flirt. He never had confidence in himself anymore. Nor did he have any in many others. That was what the betrayal had done to him.

As Rangiku was being pushed back by the smaller girl, Izuru noticed something far off in the darkening sky. It was nearly a mile away, but he could still make out the form of a person. It looked like a little girl. He stepped forward but stopped when he saw the bright light forming from her head. One thing flashed in his mind.

_Cero._

Without hesitation he ran to the edge of the crater.

"Get out now! There's an arrancar! RUN!"

Momo and Rangiku immediately stopped and looked around. They saw the green way off in the distance. They began to run up the crater. Momo was scared.

_An arrancar? HERE?!_

***********

The green ball of energy felt hot in Lilynette's eye. She could see the three Soul Reapers running away. She wanted to create chaos of some kind and thought this the best way.

_It's too weak_, she thought. _It's gotta be stronger. I wanna make Starrk proud. Wait… Gran Rey Cero. Nobody can see…_

She drew her zanpakuto from her helmet and made a cut on her arm. As the blood poured out, it infused itself with her cero. Lilynette felt it get bigger, hotter… stronger.

"TAKE THIS!" she screamed and let her missile fly.

**********

When the ball of energy left the figure, Izuru and the girls used flash step to escape. The blast of energy hit numerous structures and created a massive explosion. The buildings had all been reduced to ashes and dust. Rangiku's eyes widened. It was a miracle that the Thirteenth Squad's headquarters had not been hit.

Izuru and Momo looked back towards the sky. The figure was gone.

"What… What the hell just happened?" Rangiku asked.

Izuru shook his head. He turned to Momo. She was scared out of her wits and her eyes filled with tears. She grabbed a hold of him and held him tight. Surprised by this, Izuru held her close. He rested his head on her's and rubbed her back.

"It'll be OK."

"I know I will," she looked up at him. "I'm always OK when you're here Izuru."

All he could do was smile.

**********

Lilynette had been thrown back by her own cero. She had crashed into a tower and landed face-first into the ground. She put her hand over her wound, the blood pouring out from between her fingers. Lilynette had no idea what to do now. All she wanted to do now was to either have some more 'fun' or to go back home.

She ran through the streets and jumped off of roofs to find a hiding place. She could hear the numerous Soul Reapers talking about the explosion. Her work had been successful.

Eventually, she found a building. She looked into the window and found nobody inside. There was a bed and a couch. Lilynette hopped inside and lay on the couch, stretching her legs and arms. _Now this is relaxing!_

Minutes later, she heard someone in the other room. Footsteps. Without a moment to spare, she ran towards the window. People were filling the street. She couldn't get by unnoticed. She looked around the room. The only hiding place was under the bed.

Lilynette dove under and covered her mouth. She was good at being silent when she wanted to. She wanted to kick herself when she realized that she had left a blood stain on the couch. Lilynette desperately hoped whoever was coming in wouldn't notice. When the door opened, she had to keep herself from gasping.

It was Semaj. Or as she liked to call him 'Mr. Sexy'.

The red-eyed man made his way towards the bed. He sat down and Lilynette felt the bed shake. She wondered what he was doing. She could only see his legs, but she could hear him well. She heard him place his zanpakuto on the shelf next to the bed: metal on wood. Next, she heard something completely different. It was the rustling of clothes. Semaj stood up briefly and dropped his robes on the floor. Next, his shirt and pants fell. Lilynette was excited: 'Mr. Sexy' was performing a strip show for her.

He fell back onto the bed, placing his hands behind his head. Lilynette didn't move. She didn't intend to. Tonight, she'd be having some more fun…


	9. Private Practice

The night sky was dark outside and it was cool in the room. The exploration had not gone as well as Semaj hoped it would have been. He had only succeeded in going to places he had already gone. Tomorrow he'd go the opposite direction.

He couldn't sleep tonight; he kept getting this odd feeling that there was someone watching him. He dismissed it and rested his eyes for a little while.

After about a half-hour of restlessness, he heard something. It was a faint pitter-patter but it sounded like it was close. He lifted himself onto his elbows and looked around in the darkness. Semaj couldn't see anything. Then, he saw movement at the food of his bed.

He made out two white horn-like protrusions coming from the top of a helmet. One was shorter than the other and a red flame was below it. As the figure rose up, Semaj was shocked to find a small childish girl stand before him. He nearly shouted but was too taken by surprise.

"Hello, Mr. Sexy!" the green-haired, pink-eyed girl cheered. Before he could move, she leap-frogged the foot of the bed and bounced on Semaj. He coughed as the girl sat on his stomach and started bouncing up and down.

"Wha…? What the hell are you doing?!"

"Trying to have some fun!" she replied. She laughed childishly and leaned forward. Her face was inches from his. "Hiya, Semaj. The name's Lilynette Gingerback. Want to play with me?"

The eccentric little girl seemed rather flirty towards him. He had that affect on other women. But this girl wasn't like the other Soul Reapers. There was something very different about her. He looked at her midsection and saw something that only made him more curious: Lilynette had a hole in her stomach. He tried searching his memory for something that the hole reminded him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" she shouted. The pink-eyed girl lowered herself on him and rested her hand on his loincloth.

"No! What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't!"

Lilynette was about to rip the cloth off when she heard a sound in the other room. Before the door opened, she leapt off of Semaj and landed on the window sill.

"I'll be back," she said with a wink. She leapt and flew off into the darkness.

Izuru burst through the door to find a heavily panting Semaj.

"What the hell happened?"

"I honestly have no idea… but that girl was… a Hollow."

"That's definitely not good."

**********

Lilynette had been able to escape the Sereitei. She ran through the woods of the Rukongai and made it to the rock Starrk had been at earlier. All she had to do now was wait.

It, thankfully, wasn't a long wait. It was precisely midnight and she heard the garganta open. Out of it stepped Starrk and another arrancar. One was a deathly pale in color and had long grey hair, tied in a ponytail. His eyes were a cold blue, resembling cobalt. His uniform was similar to Master Ulquiorra's. His mask's remnants covered the lower half of his face.

"Starrk, can we go now? I'm tired! Almost got to have my fun with Semaj. So close, but so far," Lilynette complained.

Starrk smiled and beckoned her into the garganta. "Volterr, I trust you'll know what to do?" The gray haired arrancar nodded. "Good. We'll be back. Master Aizen has a plan. Just keep them busy until we arrive."

Volterr sat on the rock and placed his hand on his mask, just above his mouth. He effortlessly ripped it off, leaving a small bony plate around his chin. He smiled. "I think I'll enjoy this a lot."

The garganta was closing. Moments before it closed, Lilynette shouted, "REMEMBER! Don't kill Semaj! He's mine!"

As the black portal disappeared, Volterr laughed.

"Tomorrow's going to be quite unique."

**********

"This is troubling news," Captain Unohana having a Hell Butterfly land on her finger. Isane stared at her confused. "There's an arrancar in the Sereitei."

Isane's eyes widened. _An… arrancar?_

"Thankfully from the reports, it's a considerably weak one. It probably has to recover before it could attack with that much power again. In any case, I'll have to start Semaj on his training early; preferably tomorrow night, if I can."

Isane smiled subconsciously. She wanted to watch what the training would be like. She knew this would be a good chance for her to hang out with Semaj.

"Captain, do we have a report about what the arrancar looks like?"

"It's a small girl with light green hair and a pink eye. That should be sufficient information enough. Rest, Isane. It's late. You need to sleep."

The lieutenant did as she was told. Bags were growing under her eyes and she hoped tomorrow would go as planned. She went to her bedroom and lay down on the pillow. She was tired and not at the same time. Isane stared up at the ceiling.

She was thankful that Unohana was the woman that she was: she was almost like her mother. Isane missed her mother. It had been some years since she had passed on, leaving her to take care of Kiyone. Ukitake did a good job of that on his own, along with Sentaro, so that was a bit of a relief. But Unohana felt like a mother to her. She always seemed to have a matronly aura about her. It filled her with joy that someone understood her and cared.

Isane placed her hands beneath her head. Thoughts of Semaj danced in her head. She could see him running up to her. They embraced and laughed. She took his hand and they went off to a lake outside of the Sereitei. They sat beneath a tree and Isane laid her head in his lap. They joked and chatted until the sunset. When the sky was golden and the water reflected the shimmering light, Semaj laughed.

"What's so funny?" she found herself asking him.

"No matter how hard it tries," he began, "no scene from nature will be as beautiful as you."

She found herself blushing at this. Isane reached up to reward him, to do something she had been craving to do.

Before she could kiss him, an owl hooted and distracted Isane.

She sat up and looked outside. It was about time for her to sleep. Isane got out of her lieutenant uniform. Her over-sized silken pajamas were her favorite thing to wear. They were so soft. She stroked her sleeve. _Semaj's hair is even softer._

She crawled back into bed and began to drift back into her sleep.

_As long as Semaj is in my dreams, bring on the nightmares._

**********

The next morning was cool and breezy.

Squads Two, Ten, and Eleven had found no sign of the arrancar. It seemed like it would be a peaceful day today… especially now that members of the Eleventh Squad and the Stealth Force had been posted practically everywhere as guards.

Captain Kurotsuchi was unaware of anything.

For the second time in his life, the mad scientist had found himself locked up in the Nest of Maggots. He sat in a corner of the prison and used his long nail to dig little patterns in the dirt. His make-up and luxurious clothes had been taken from him, revealing what little remained of him. His blue hair was messed up and his golden eyes seethed with an unending anger.

Soifon stood before him. She had received news about the current events and was given the responsibility of telling Mayuri his punishment. Her grey eyes were fixed on the cruel Soul Reaper.

"I suppose you're here to do more than stare at me like a moron," Mayuri sneered, not looking away from his creation in the dirt. Soifon only frowned.

"Kurotsuchi, you've taken your antics too far this time. You never know when to quit, do you?"

"Oh? So you're putting me on time-out? It's hard for me to act like a pathetic idiot like you people. I actually enjoy my scientific work."

"Your 'work' is chaos, Mayuri. As a punishment, you are to be—"

"Let me guess… stripped of my rank? Exiled for a few days? Beaten severely by that fat creature, Marechiyo?"

"Actually, Mayuri," Soifon continued. "You are to be executed on Sokyoku Hill next week."

Mayuri's eyes widened. He was speechless.

"I am sorry, Mayuri."

Soifon turned and left the prison. Left alone, Mayuri continued playing with his little hole in the dirt.

_Nemu, take care of yourself. I am sorry… for everything._

**********

Semaj ran through the crowded streets. People were less than cooperative in getting out of his way. Many of them still gawked at him, wondering about the rumors. His eyes alone were enough to hypnotize them.

He finally decided to take to the rooftops. He leapt from roof to roof with the grace of a panther. Semaj was trying to make his way to Unohana's garden as fast as he could. She had sent word for him.

His training was to begin.

Soon, the scenery changed from the old, stony buildings and bustling streets to the tranquility of the surrounding flowers and trees. Semaj felt at peace as soon as he placed his feet on the lush green turf. He made his way through a maze of tall hibiscus and found Captain Unohana standing before him beneath a willow tree. Isane stood beside her, carrying Unohana's zanpakuto. Her light eyes brightened when she saw Semaj. He didn't notice the change.

"Excellent timing, Semaj," Unohana's voice was musical and warm. "But I think I can teach you to move even more quickly. Do you know the four main skills used by a Soul Reaper?"

He shook his head. Izuru had not told him anything yet. He had been busy with filing reports.

"Then I'll teach you. You already know about sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat. There are also two other methods: kido and flash-steps. Let's start with the latter."

Isane moved away from their little training area. She went to one of Unohana's large bonsai trees and climbed it. Sitting in the branches, she could get a good view of the practice… and a better view of Semaj.

"What are flash-steps?"

"The best way to see is for me to show you," the Captain replied. She walked away from Semaj. He thought she was going to leave him alone until she stopped nearly two-hundred feet away. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving Semaj speechless.

"That was flash-steps," came a voice behind him. Semaj turned around and, sure enough, it was Unohana. His eyes grew wide when he saw her.

"Will you teach me how to do that?"

Unohana smiled. "Of course."

**********

Isane smiled as she saw Semaj progress in his training. He was a fast learner. In the hour, he had learned different techniques for flash-steps and some of the non-destructive kido spells. He did these all so skillfully. It came naturally to him. It was pure instinct.

Retsu now had Semaj take his robes off. She wanted to test his swordplay and hand-to-hand techniques. The robes would hinder him. Isane melted as his clothing came off. Though his torso was thin and scarred, he was muscular. His arms were well-toned and Isane wanted them wrapped around her; she didn't care that they were adorned with hundreds of little scars. His pale skin nearly blinded her in the sunlight.

Both the student and the master drew their zanpakuto. This would be very interesting. Unohana rarely fought, but she was among the best Soul Society had to offer. From information provided by the Eleventh Squad, Semaj could whoop anyone's butt.

Semaj held Ippiki Ookami in his hands and stared at Unohana with complete focus. She held hers in one hand, twirling it playfully in her fingers.

Before he knew it, she struck.

Semaj just barely blocked the strike. Unohana's sword clashed with his, sending sparks flying. Isane was impressed he had even blocked it. Minazuki's blade was inches from his flesh. He pushed against Unohana's blade and made his assault. He slashed wildly, striking from different angles with different amounts of force. Unohana seemed somewhat confused by this strategy. Normally, the opponent would go at full force.

She kicked him in the leg, knocking him off balance. He used this to his advantage. As he fell to the ground, he barrel rolled and made a slash. He had managed to cut her robe. When he got to his feet, he made an overhand chop. Unohana parried, but he turned the slash into a stab. When the blades met, he pushed Ippiki Ookami down Minazuki. Unohana rolled her head and just barely dodged it. Isane was really starting to think that Semaj could win. She cheered him on in her head.

He leapt back a good twenty feet. Unohana readied herself for the oncoming charge but it never came. Instead, he ran around her in circles. He was utilizing the flash-steps almost perfectly. Isane could barely see him, though every now and then he'd slow himself down to trick his opponent. His muscles rippled. His hair was flowing behind him. Semaj's eyes burned with a wild flame. He was strong, fast, beautiful, and wild. He reminded Isane of a wolf.

Semaj continued his flash-steps for a good minute. Unohana kept anticipating his strike but it never came. Instead, he stopped running and smiled. Isane and Retsu were not sure what he was going to do.

"Bakudo one… sai!"

Unohana's arms immediately went locked behind her back. Isane was shocked. No-one had ever done that to her. She almost drew her own zanpakuto, but remembered this was practice. Semaj charged, his sword aiming for the neck. Unohana smiled.

"Bakudo eight… seki."

As Semaj plunged his blade towards her throat, the white ball of light stopped him. His blade bounced off it and was sent flying. The blade spun and crashed into Isane's tree, just a couple feet below her. Semaj himself was paralyzed. Unohana snapped her fingers. She had freed herself and held her blade near Semaj's throat.

"That was a very good fight, young one," she smiled. "I pity the next man who hollow who tries to fool around with you."

Semaj smiled.

"Thank you, Captain Unohana."

She released him from the spell. He knelt down in respect. Much to Isane's chagrin, he placed his robes back on before going to reclaim Ippiki Ookami.


	10. Rotten Luck

The cool water of the stream was relaxing. Semaj dunked his head quickly. When he pulled out, his wet black hair sent water droplets flying. It was the perfect way to cool off after the mock fight with Unohana. Training for the day was done.

Unohana was sitting beneath a nearby bonsai tree, reading a novel. Isane chose to sit on a nearby rock and doze. The sun was setting, turning the sky a beautiful combination of midnight blue, pink, and orange. Whenever she opened her eyes, she thought she was having the same dream she had had about Semaj. It was so peaceful now. Isane lifted her head gently. She saw the red-eyed man approaching her. Shocked, she tried to sit up straight, falling over in the process. Semaj caught her.

"Woah, there!" he chuckled, "Don't die on me now."

Isane blushed. She pulled herself up with his arm.

"I have something for you," he said.

"Oh really?" She was curious. He reached into his uniform and pulled out small rectangle. It was covered in wrapping and had the word 'HERSHEY' printed on it. "CANDY?" He smiled and opened it for her. Isane greedily broke off a piece and shoved it into her mouth, savoring the chocolate. She felt embarrassed when Semaj laughed.

"I take it you like it."

"Very much so. I'm kind of a chocoholic."

"Join the club."

He sat down beside her. Isane leaned against him and smiled. The two of them shared the chocolate bar until it was demolished. Isane even licked the inside of the wrapper clean.

Unohana watched them through the corner of her eye. She smiled and stood up, walking back down towards the barracks. _Best to leave the two love birds be._

Semaj put the wrapper back into his uniform. "I wish I had brought more chocolate for you."

"Well," Isane said, "there is something else I want to taste."

Semaj looked at her confused. His catlike eyes focused on her brown orbs. "What would that be?"

"Close your eyes and I'll show you."

Semaj chuckled a little, but he did as he was told. Isane face contorted with happiness and nervousness. Now was her chance. She put her hands on Semaj's face. His skin was smooth. Isane took a nervous gulp before slowly reaching up.

Before her lips could meet his, she was interrupted.

"And what a sight this is for sore eyes."

Semaj's eyes burst open. He rose quickly, looking around for the speaker. Isane's lips grazed his uniform. _Damn_, she thought.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Semaj shouted. It didn't take long for him to get his answer. A rustle of branches was immediately followed by a man leaping from the bonsai tree to the grass in front of him. Semaj rested his hand on Ippiki Ookami.

The figure had long grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes were a cold blue. His skin was unnaturally pale. A small bony plate in the shape of a diamond graced his chin. His clothing was all white and black.

"Who the hell are you?"

"My, my," the man began, "that isn't very polite. But I guess I'll make up your lack of manners for you. My name is Volterr, at your service." The man bowed.

Isane stepped back. She knew this man wasn't here to converse. He wasn't a Soul Reaper or a human. He was an arrancar. And he looked strong. She had her hands on Semaj's shoulders. She could feel him tense up.

"I believe it's common practice for the whole party to introduce themselves properly. And you are?"

"Isane Kotetsu, lieutenant of Squad Four," she piped up.

"And Semaj Kotaru, member of Squad Three and the guy who's going to beat you down," Semaj drew his blade and readied himself.

"How naïve. What makes you think you're going to be able to defeat me?"

"We're gonna to win; you're outnumbered."

"Two-to-one, eh?"

"More like a thousand-to-one."

Volterr laughed. "That's not going to happen, my young friend."

A pang of anger gripped Semaj. He brought his sword close to his head, the point aimed for Volterr's jugular. In a flash, he brought himself just inches from the arrancar. But the pale creature was too fast; before the zanpakuto could plunge into his throat, Volterr sidestepped and kicked Semaj to the ground. His foot pinned the young Soul Reaper into the dirt. Semaj tried to struggle but froze when something cold was pressed to his throat. His red eyes peered down. A long dagger was poised to spill his blood. Being this close to the arrancar, Semaj could smell him. Volterr had a filthy odor. It reminded him of vomit.

"It's not going to happen because nobody has any idea that I'm here."

Isane's eyes widened. Fear took over her.

The cell was cold. It was small. It was lonely.

Mayuri couldn't stand not being in his lab. There was absolutely nothing to do. The only way he could appease himself was scribbling in the dirt and on the walls. There wasn't even anything interesting outside of his cell. There weren't even any guards visible to analyze.

_How pathetic…_

But something was amiss in the air.

A putrid smell wafted into his tiny room. It was something like rotten fish or diseased beef. His golden eyes widened. He knew it wasn't simply someone's bad cooking.

_I have to get out of here…,_ he thought. Drumming his fingers on the floor, he plotted his escape. It wouldn't be pretty.

Isane drew her zanpakuto. She charged Volterr. The foul arrancar leapt away, causing her to trip over Semaj. She slowly rose up and tried again. The Hollow parried elegantly; the clash of blades knocked the young girl down again. She winced.

The cold steel of Volterr's dagger touched her cheek. She was scared. Isane closed her eyes, waiting for him to slit her throat. _This is it_, she thought. _I'm going to die. He reeks of death._

Her eyes shot open when she heard Semaj roar. He charged from behind furiously. Ippiki Ookami slammed into the enemy's arm. Blood spurted onto all three of them. Volterr swiftly leapt away before the second strike could come. Isane looked up at her savior. His face was caked in blood and sweat. His matted hair covered an eye, leaving the other one gleaming brightly. Semaj's teeth were bared in some kind of snarl. It reminded her of a feral beast. For a split-second, she was even more afraid.

The foe dipped a finger into his wound. "Well done, son. Well done." Volterr pulled his finger out, covered in blood. To Isane's disgust, he proceeded to suck the red liquid off. He seemed to enjoy it. "Perhaps it's time I show you something more impressive."

Without a second to waste, Volterr brought his dagger up to his nostril and clicked his heels. "Reek havoc, Muertolor!" A gray gas billowed from the blade's edge. In seconds, the area was completely clouded. There was no visibility whatsoever.

_I gotta end this quick_, Semaj thought.

"Cry wi— Cry—" he coughed. No matter how hard he tried to shout the words, he could not physically do it. The gas was choking him. Semaj swung his zanpakuto blindly, hoping for a hit.

_Where are you?_

He got his answer.

He could barely see the long thin stiletto shoot into his shoulder. It stung like hell. There must have been something in the gas. The searing pain was like having acid poured on him… or Kurotsuchi's formula.

A second stiletto struck him in the back. Another in his leg. More and more were coming from different angles, slashing and stabbing him. The blood loss and the smell crippled Semaj. His eyes grew heavy. The gas faded, and he could now see Volterr. The Arrancar now looked like some kind of porcupine. His body was covered in stilettos. Small amounts of gas and liquid bubbled out of his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Semaj tried to run at him, but instead he fell into the ground. It was dark when he hit his head pebbled ground.

Isane ran to his side. Her eyes were watery, partly from the gas. She didn't want to see him hurt again. She held her blade firmly in from of her as the filthy beast approached.

"Now, my dear," a sickeningly sweet voice chimed, "how about you and I have some fun?" Volterr drew his arm back, a stiletto ready in his hand. Isane gulped as he swung forward, aiming for her heart.


	11. Love, Hate, Sex, and Pain

The ending blow never came.

Isane opened her eye a crack. The foul arrancar was staring at the ground. His feet were stamping in some sort of blue fluid. She could see panic in his eyes.

"Oh? So I was right then?"

A cold voice laughed.

_Kurotsuchi?_

Isane gasped. A mouth and a golden eye had taken form in the gooey liquid. It made her jump. What had the Captain done to himself? Even Volterr stepped back.

"Don't be so shocked. Did you think that you could go unnoticed by my sense of smell? Over my years of bodily modification, I've been able to greatly heighten my senses. My sense of smell and hearing is almost on par with that of a beast. As for my escape, I had to resort to some nasty business to force myself out of there."

More of Kurotsuchi began to form from the liquid. Slowly— but surely— his body rose from the pool. He did not look anything like Isane remembered. His naked skin was normal. The paint had long been washed off. Underneath his unkempt hair, two round golden sockets replaced his ears. The only things she could recognize him by were the long nail on his right hand and Ashisogi Jizo. He was uncharacteristically handsome.

"What sorcery is this?" the arrancar howled. He could not comprehend this living nightmare.

"Not sorcery. Science! As well as having heightened senses, I have my own personal defense systems. The one I employed to escape my cell was very simple. Should I stab myself with my zanpakuto, I will dissolve into liquid and flow to safety… or in this case, to you."

Isane was confused. "But, Ashisogi Jizo was kept in a separate room far from you. How could you have impaled yourself with it?"

Mayuri laughed. "Once again, by my modifications. I always have a little piece of him with me. I've implanted microscopic slivers from the blade into the edge of my nail. It was very interesting; this was the first time I even bothered to test it out. I assure you, I'm overcome with glee."

Volterr seemed utterly disgusted. "What kind of a man are you?" He raised his arm to throw the stiletto at Kurotsuchi. Without a moment to waste, the scientist flashed behind him, binding his arms. Volterr screamed.

"Now then, perhaps we can come to some kind of deal. I'll let you live if you become one of my experiments."

"Ne- NEVER!"

Mayuri just shook his head. "Oh well, you're loss."

A hand grabbed Volterr by the jaw. Kurotsuchi yanked hard and forced it open. Volterr was forced to scream from the infernal pain. Isane watched in horror as Captain Kurotsuchi stuck his right hand inside the arrancar's mouth. His long nail dug into back of Volterr's head. Blood poured out of his mouth and down Kurotsuchi's arm. Isane did not have the will power to turn away. In a matter of seconds, she could see the nail protrude from the back of the skull. She screamed. Volterr slowly disintegrated in gray dust.

Kurotsuchi approached the young Soul Reaper. He offered his hand.

"Are you alright? Can you move?"

She simply stared at the blood drenched appendage.

In annoyance, he left her side and moved to Semaj. He crouched down and examined him. After a few seconds, he lifted the young man up over his shoulder.

"He's in critical condition. Take me to the Fourth Squad's Headquarters."

Isane stared at him with large teary eyes. It was the first time she had seen him do anything so… not cruel.

"That's an order."

It didn't last long.

Semaj woke to the most sight of his life: dozens of female Soul Reapers were standing at the foot of his bed. And they were wearing kitten ears.

"He's awake!" someone shouted. The room burst into a frenzy of screams of joy. The women all crowded closer to his sides. Yachiru sat at his feet, playing with his toes. To his chagrin— and their delight— Semaj wore only bandages and shorts. His body was their eye candy.

"Semaj! Are you alright?" Momo asked. She, Rangiku, Nanao, Nemu, Kiyone, and Yachiru were the ringleaders of this operation. "We brought you presents and food to make you feel better."

Semaj was too tired and in too much pain to argue. He could only come up with one syllable:

"Ears?"

Rangiku burst out of the crowd. She leaned over Semaj so that her voluptuous chest was in his plain view. "It was Yachiru's idea. As of three days ago, we are…"

All the women took some kind of new stance. Many were meant to be cute or sultry, but they ended up being humorous.

"KOTARU'S KITTENS!"

_Oh, crap_, Semaj thought. Just what I need: a headache.

As if on cue, Captain Unohana entered her patient's room.

"Ladies, this is a room of recovery. Semaj needs his rest; he nearly died out there. I suggest you wait outside if you're so anxious to see him," she scolded. None of the women dared defy her. They did as instructed and left.

Semaj smiled and placed a hand on his forehead. "Thanks, Captain."

Unohana smiled back. "It's no trouble at all. I can tell they bother you."

"Haha, only a little bit. I find their affection most amusing. How long was I out?"

The Captain sat in the chair adjacent to Semaj's bed. "Three days. Kurotsuchi says you had severe blood loss. It took us a while to stop the bleeding, but after that you healed rapidly."

"Nemu saved Isane and me?"

"No… it was Captain Mayuri who found you."

Semaj's face was devoid of joy. "HE found me? How the hell did he escape?"

"It's a long and complicated story. You should ask him some time."

"I'm just surprised he didn't finish me off himself."

Unohana chuckled. "He's in no position to perform any more atrocities. Even though he saved your life, he's still hated by everyone. Yamamoto had canceled his execution, but Kurotsuchi has been exiled from Sereitei; he's no longer a Soul Reaper."

He looked down at the sheets. He felt glad that the madman was no longer able to get a hold of him, but he wanted to thank him as well. It was a weird feeling.

Unohana sensed his inner conflict. "Get some rest. You need it. Especially if you're going to withstand all those admirers." That made Semaj smiled.

"So, how are you feeling, sis?"

Isane sat on the edge of her bed. She had been reading a cooking magazine when Kiyone popped in.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken from the incident."

"I bet. It must have been pretty scary. I mean, it was an arrancar. Captain Ukitake said those things are deadly. They don't go down easily."

"So I've heard. He completely overpowered Semaj, but Captain Kurotsuchi obliterated him," Isane stated. Kiyone's eyes turned dreamy at the mention of Kitty and quickly turned frightened at the utterance of the Captain of the Twelfth Division's name.

"Hope Semaj gets better soon! I wanna give him my present." Kiyone whipped out a small green box. Inside were a few CDs Ukitake and Sentaro had given her from the Human world over the years. "Think he'll like Black Sabbath?"

Isane giggled. "I'm sure he'll enjoy it. I need to give him a present, too."

Kiyone was curious. "What are you gonna give him?"

"It's a secret," Isane blushed. Kiyone pouted in hopes of getting an answer. It didn't work. The older sibling ruffled her hair. "Come on; let's go see if we can find a bite to eat."

"Volterr's dead."

Starrk lazily rolled over on the pile of pillows. He didn't seem to hear what his partner was saying.

"Starrk? STARRK!" Lillynette shouted. She leapt to his side and proceeded to kick him in the face. He finally got up.

"What is it, Lilynette? Goddammit!" he shouted angrily.

"I said, Volterr's dead!"

"Oh… that's interesting," he replied. Starrk put his finger on his chin thoughtfully.

"So what are we gonna do?"

"Go tell the others. Looks like these Soul Reapers are stronger than we thought. We need a plan if we want to get the kid."

"Starrk, why do we need him?"

"Didn't they tell you at the last Fraccion meeting?"

She shook her head.

Starrk sighed. "Fine… grab a seat. I'll fill you in."

Izuru, Semaj, Shuhei, Tetsuzaemon, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Renji sat around the table. It was a classic night of guy things. The men played cards, drinking sake, listening to music, and talking about everything and nothing. It was a welcome retreat for Semaj. He had had enough attention from those of the female persuasion. Earlier that day, they had given him countless presents. Many were photos of themselves in scantily clothing. Then there were some good presents: music, books, sketch paper, costumes, and even a guitar.

The group was currently in a drunken state.

"Hey guys! Guys!"

"What is it, Yumichika?" Ikkaku groaned.

"Have you ever noticed that if you try to hit your reflection in the mirror, you'll always give yourself a high five? There's no way to avoid it!" the flamboyant Soul Reaper was currently trying to defeat his doppelganger.

Everyone laughed at him. It was a raucous night.

"Oh, man. I love you guys!" Renji put his arms around Tetsuzaemon and Shuhei. They all howled with laughter. Even gloomy Izuru was in a good mood.

"Can I tell you guys something?" he asked.

They all nodded with warm, drunken smiles.

"I've been confused lately. I have feelings for Momo. Sometimes she seems to feel the same about me, but then sometimes she seems to be oblivious to it. I dunno if or if not I should ask her out."

All of them shouted "do it".

Izuru laughed. "That's all I needed to know."

"No problem," Semaj said. "If you need help, I can be your wingman."

"That won't help. She'll just try to run after you!"

They all laughed again.

"True. Take a couple bottles of sake then."

"AGREED!"

It was four o'clock in the morning. Semaj couldn't sleep. All the sake he had drunk gave him a headache. It had the opposite effect on Izuru; he was sleeping like a stone.

He decided to take a look at his new gifts. He enjoyed the guitar the most. He was a natural at playing it. The cries of the strings echoed across Seireitei. No one complained, so that was good. Music was one of his favorite things. There were so many different styles. He enjoyed the different artists he listened too: Black Sabbath, the Misfits, Green Day, Kenny Nolan, and Megadeth were a few he could name off.

Semaj looked out of his window. The dark sky was lit up by the bright stars. It was beautiful. He didn't know what could make it more perfect.

And then, there was a sound.

He turned sharply towards the door. It slowly swung open. Instinctively, he reached for Ippiki Ookami. He didn't want to take any chances.

In the glistening starlight, Isane entered. Her silver hair and pale skin shined. She was beautiful. For a moment, Semaj thought he was dreaming. She immediately went to him and hugged him. His bare body felt good to her.

"What are you doing here?" He looked up at her. Those grey eyes shined and sparkled.

"I love you."

It hit him hard. He did not expect this. But he loved it.

Within moments, they were sitting on the bed. He held her in his lap. She looked up at him with a smile that melted his heart.

"You're so beautiful."

She smiled. "I haven't heard that before."

"Well, it's true."

_Now was the time_, she thought.

Slowly, she raised her arms up. Her hands gently clutched his cheeks. She pulled him down her and kissed him. It felt so good. Those few seconds felt like centuries.

Semaj smiled.

Isane smiled.

"I have a present for you."

Semaj laughed. "Not another one!"

"It's nothing like the others." She skipped to the nearby CD player and inserted the Black Sabbath disk that was nearby. The music made her dance. Semaj couldn't help but smile. He'd never seen her like this.

"What are you up to?"

She stood in front of him. Smiling shyly, she winked. She removed her robes. Semaj was wide-eyed. The tall thin girl was gorgeous with clothes on. Naked, she was angelic. This must have truly been a dream.

Isane crawled onto him and kissed him.

Not a dream. It was Heaven.

_Some people say my love cannot be true_

_Please believe me, my love, and I'll show you_

_I will give you those things you thought unreal_

_The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal_


End file.
